Light-rail push for 42nd Street gets rolling

A citizen's initiative to revolutionize 42nd Street with light rail has been stopped in its tracks since the mayor declined to get on board, but supporters are courting his potential successors.

The proposal would ban cars from 42nd Street and install a trolley-like system, transforming the crowded thoroughfare into a pedestrian space.

"Crosstown movement in midtown is torture," said Roxanne Warren, co-chair of vision42, the group behind the plan. "It's a disgrace for such an important city. We should be proud of 42nd Street."

It would seem an odd time to push such an ambitious project. Mayor Michael Bloomberg has just under 200 days left in office and has shown no signs of taking action on the proposal, which has bubbled up occasionally over the years. According to Ms. Warren, when vision42 initially approached Mr. Bloomberg, he dismissed its idea as competitive with his $2 billion extension of the No. 7 subway line from Times Square to the far West Side, currently under construction.

Now, light rail on 42nd Street seems to have lost all traction in the administration: A spokeswoman for Mr. Bloomberg said she was unfamiliar with the plan.

Fans of the project are instead wooing the 2013 mayoral candidates. They already have backing from eight elected public officials, including a City Council member, three state senators and two congressional representatives. Ms. Warren said she is optimistic that the proposal will receive serious consideration from the next administration.

According to vision42, the 2.5-mile light-rail line would cost between $360 million and $510 million, roughly one-tenth what subway construction costs per mile. With the increased pedestrian traffic that the reconfiguration of 42nd Street would generate, the group estimates that business at retail shops and restaurants would increase by 35%.

"What we would do is have this [light rail] within a fully-landscaped, walking environment," said Ms. Warren. "Eliminating traffic will allow space for cafés and other amenities." According to a study conducted by vision42, about 60% of restaurateurs on 42nd Street would consider opening sidewalk cafés if light rail were installed.

Lucius Riccio, former commissioner of the Department of Transportation, loves the idea. "Why should San Francisco have all the fun?" he said. "I'd like to see us have more pedestrian-friendly efforts."

But a deputy commissioner for the agency, Seth Solomonow, was quick to point out that there have already been major improvements to the 42nd Street area in recent years, including the No. 7 train project, a Times Square pedestrian plaza and a high-tech traffic management system in midtown.

"This corridor already has some of the most extensive bus and subway service in the city, and we recently implemented bike-share stations in the area," he added.

Buses on 42nd Street, however, are notoriously pokey. According to the Straphangers Campaign, a transit advocacy effort in the city, the M42 was Manhattan's slowest bus 2012, with an average speed of just 3.9 miles per hour at noon on a weekday.

Ms. Warren believes the light-rail system would be far superior. "It's a smoother, more appealing ride, it has three times the capacity, and it has a permanence that reinforces new development," she said.

Light rail is used in major cities throughout the U.S., including Boston, Los Angeles and Philadelphia. Light-rail proposals for 42nd Street date as far back as 1994, when a plan was approved by the City Council. It died for lack of funding.

Crain’s New York Business is the trusted voice of the New York business community—connecting businesses across the five boroughs by providing analysis and opinion on how to navigate New York’s complex business and political landscape.